Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei courts pledge to improve environmental case hearings

Courts in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province have pledged to further protect the environment by improving case hearings to advance the building of sound ecological conservation in the area.

The pledge was made by 21 courts at a seminar held in Jinhai Lake in Beijing's Pinggu district on Monday to better serve the coordinated green development and high-quality growth of the region.

During the seminar 12 courts, including Beijing Pinggu District People's Court, Tianjin Jizhou People's Court and Hebei Sanhe People's Court, also signed agreements to increase communication on legal issues concerning the environment and jointly improve the quality of case hearings.

Liu Zhumei, chief judge of the Adjudication Tribunal for Environment and Resources with the Supreme People's Court, China's top court, highlighted the importance of strengthening legal cooperation in this region, as its waters and soil are inseparable.

"While dealing with disputes related to water, air and soil, it's also essential for regional courts to focus on new legal problems like noise and electromagnetic pollution as well as carbon emissions," she said.

Song Yi, chief judge of the first civil division with the Beijing High People's Court, called for more exchanges and training for judges who specialize in environmental lawsuits in the region, suggesting they set up a platform to share information in a timely manner.

In 2016, three high courts in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei made an agreement on intensifying the handling of environmental cases for regional sustainable development.